Checkpoint

Australia is funding two and half times the modern medicines that Aotearoa is according to an ongoing study. The study comissioned by Medicines New Zealand has been tracking drug funding in both countries using almost a decade and half of data. Australia has publicly funded 215 modern medicines compared to just 86 in New Zealand during the period from January 2011 to June 2025. Medicines NZ chief executive Dr Graeme Jarvis spoke to Lisa Owen.

The organisers of a humanitarian aid flotilla trying to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza say all three New Zealanders taking part have been detained by Israel. About 40 boats are reported to have been within 160 kilometres of Gaza when the Israeli military began intercepting boats. The Israeli Foreign Ministry says the passengers are safe. Aotearoa spokesperson for the Global Sumud Flotilla, Acacia O'Connor spoke to Lisa Owen.

Technology teachers are worried the government's overhaul of the school curriculum and qualifications will ruin what they say is a world-leading curriculum. They worry creativity and problem solving will be replaced by a rigid focus on teaching specific knowledge and skills. Delegates to this week's Technology Education conference also warn labeling subjects as either vocational or academic doesn't work for fields that straddle both paths. Education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.

How long international rugby players spend on the field will be strictly monitored from next season. World Rugby has put a spotlight on player welfare and will restrict the number of games a player can participate in, as well as mandating how long the off-season is. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

There are calls for sunscreen to be subsidised as we count down to the peak sun season. It comes as almost two dozen sunscreens in Australia were recalled, paused or under review because of concerns over their SPF ratings - with some of those available here. Head of Advocacy at Cancer Society New Zealand, Rachael Neuman spoke to Lisa Owen.

US correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about the US government shutting down for the first time in nearly seven years. Republicans and democrats have been playing the blame game after a spending bill to keep the federal government funded failed to pass in congress.

Buy one get one free, multi deals for junk or unhealthy food and free refills for fizz are now banned in England. The range of foods included is vast, from potato chips, pre package pizza and icecreams to pastries and crumbed fish sticks. It is all part of a government plan to combat obesity particularly in children. Professor of population nutrition at Auckland University, Boyd Swinburn about whether New Zealand should follow suit.

UK correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about Sir Keir Starmer's Labour Party Conference speech, the Royal Mail's response to increasing demand for parcel delivery and a Ryanair flight that was diverted due to rowdy behaviour from a stag do onboard.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Long-serving Football Fern Ali Riley has endured what she's described as a year from hell. Months battling a chronic nerve injury that she was stuggling to find answers about, as well as losing her family home in the Los Angeles fires has given the former Football Ferns captain some perspective. She will retire from football at the end of her club season, bringing to an end a nearly three-decade long career, on her own terms. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.